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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Bigfoot - Myth Or Reality?

Bigfoot - Myth Or Reality?

The most well known creature and likely the most sought after one in and out of crypto zoological circles has to be Bigfoot also well known as 'Sasquatch". Bigfoot has become a historical legend dating back centuries and is one of the most debated creatures as to its existence. The Sasquatch is alleged to be an ape-like creature inhabiting forest and woodlands, often described as a large and hairy bipedal man like ape. There have been accounts and sighting of this mysterious creature from area's all around the world especially the Pacific Northwestern region of the US and Canada. The name Sasquatch meaning "wild man' comes from an Indian dialect thought to be from the Coast Salish Indian tribe of British Columbia. The more common name for the creature "Bigfoot" is a journalistic term that was generated by the media in the last century and was used because of large foot prints found thought to be linked to the creature.

Bigfoot has been described in many varying accounts from many different area's with some slight variance in exact details. Bigfoot is usually described as an ape like creature standing between 6 and 15 feet tall and weighing in the area of 400-600 pounds covered in brown to reddish tinted hair. The creature is often said to large eyes with a low set forehead and brow ridge , often a common human like facial description is mentioned. The creature is also commonly reported to have a strong and rather unpleasant smell by those who have claimed to get close enough. There have also been tracks linked to the creature of sizes in the range of 24 inches long and 8 inches wide, hence the nickname 'bigfoot".

Sightings and reports of Sasquatch have been around for centuries and have continued to be reported up to present day. Legends of the creature inhabiting area's of the Pacific Northwest go all the way back to the native Indian tribes such as the Salish, Lummi, Klallam, and Samish tribes. Many of these legends show accounts of a creature with very similar features as many of the modern day Bigfoot sightings. More modern sightings of the creature have also offered varying articles for use in trying to document the bigfoot existence such as photo's , film, plaster cast of footprints, even samples of hair thought to used for DNA testing. The Patterson-Gimlin film is perhaps the most well know of any alleged bigfoot footage and still baffles scientist today as to its authenticity. The film shows the creature walking along with "Frame-3523 showing a clear image of a creature fitting the description of Bigfoot. This film has been studied by various scientist and photo experts and has yet to be explained or proven to be a hoax.

There have also been many plaster cast made of alleged bigfoot prints in area's around the world. Many Crypto zoologist point to some of these cast as some of the most important evidence of a Bigfoot existence. Some of the well made cast show proof of a 'push-off mound in mid footprint" and many scientist agree this has value if only for its difficulty in hoaxing because neither fake wood nor rubber faked feet can create this feature. This footprint evidence also offers more interesting facts in the area of comfortable stepping distance for humans which is said to be about half the individual's standing height or a trace more, reported Sasquatch steps are in excess of three feet which can make the argument that these steps would be difficult to impossible to hoax or create artificially by someone wearing fake feet. Many eyewitness sightings of the creature have been reported and many of them coming from area's that are near rivers, lakes, or creeks along with area's with plentiful rainfall totals and many researchers say this points to a pattern of a living species occupying an ecological niche as opposed to all sightings being hoaxes.

Some scientist point out that the described ape-like man known as Bigfoot could actually be "Gigantopithecus". Fossils of this creature have been found in parts of china and its known that many species of animals migrated across the "Bering land bridge" and its not unreasonable that Gigantopithecus could have as well and would account for some bigfoot sightings. Although this hypothesis is generally considered as being entirely speculation as not enough is know about Gigantopithecus to provide an sustainable link. Other simply explain Sasquatch as being a unknown primate existing in the most extreme wilderness areas. Some even attribute the Sasquatch to being a product of UFO's.

Scientist will continue to debate the existence of the Sasquatch and many still consider it a mix of folklore , myth, and simple misidentifications. Most claim these sightings are simply hoax's or embellished accounts from eyewitness's with muddled memories and misinterpretations of what they actually saw. But the Sasquatch has become such a sought after creature that many organizations have been formed to not only research but track and attempt to prove its existence. These groups spend hours upon hours in area's around the world documenting sightings and evaluating all evidence collected. Through out the years the Sasquatch has become the poster creature of many in the Crypto Zoological field.

Is Sasquatch really inhabiting forest and wildlife area's around the world? Is this creature a yet to be discovered primate shying away from humanity? Or is this just a creature built from folklore and myth though out time only existing in the minds of mankind? Many believers await the day when reliable proof can be offered up and the long told story be given an exciting ending.